The Loneliers Enough Already
Twee punk band The Loneliers are back and with a new record just in time for summer. The trio never really went away, but it’s been four long years since their last album, Best Night Ever, and the follow up single “Sunblock.” The ensuing dark days of the pandemic kept the band pretty quiet, so it’s refreshing to see them return to the stage to support their latest release, Enough Already, signaling that the world of pop punk is indeed healing itself.
Kicking off with an instrumental intro that is a bit mathier than we’ve come to expect from the band, the long-awaited EP signals right away that while it in fact delivers on all the things we’ve come to love and expect from The Loneliers, this record has a few surprises up its sleeve. “Caution: Distracted Driver” immediately smacks us in the face with their signature sock hop bop pop and bubblegum harmonies, but with a nod toward more sophisticated songwriting that quickly rears its purple-mohawked head.
Don’t worry though, sisters Jessie Rodriguez (guitar/vocals) and Debbie Rodriguez (bass/vocals), along with drummer Caitlin McMullen, haven’t abandoned the summer-soaked, beach and convertibles and sunglasses style of punk we can’t help but love, but this time it’s more mature and wrapped in a cool leather jacket. And this time around, the band tells us, they “had enough time to figure out how to make this EP sound amazing (and) are very excited for everyone to hear it. As you hear Enough Already, you can hear how different it sounds from our past albums.”
The Loneliers (photo by Kate Hoos)
Despite the band’s penchant, however, for humorous catchy hooks and pop sensibilities, they often function merely as an overlay for some heavier topics and more serious issues. The band explains the darker guitar riffed “No,” with it’s punchy beat and chunkier melodic lines addresses “gaining the voice to say no and fighting for your autonomy in a society that almost just lets it happen and victim blames” in situations of sexual abuse. “BA in Uselessness” is a 2-steppin bass drive with a killer guitar lead soaring right into the vocal line, which describes “being told that you’ll be successful if you do all the right things, but you get stuck at a job you hate. You feel helpless and useless.” The Loneliers have always spoken their truth and put it all up in the forefront for you to take it or leave it. They seem to dive into their experiences a little deeper on this one, and the result is a more vulnerable yet more confident record.
Whether they’re singing about love or loss, or just simply equal rights for all humans (“The Rights Song”), this tightly knit trio knows exactly who they are, and that voice is apparent on every song. So while Enough Already may fall somewhere on the scale between Chixdiggit! and The Beach Boys on too much coffee, I’d say it in fact more accurately falls exactly on The Loneliers and in a place that is uniquely them. I’m very pleased to see the band putting out new music and pumped to see them on this year’s Punk Island on Saturday July 23rd at Maria Hernandez Park. (Read more about the fest.)
Enough Already was self released and is available on all streaming platforms now.